Tag: Shigatse

Nepal, Tibet & Kerala Day Nine: Shigatse To Lhasa, 15 April 2002

There is a placeholder with links to the itinerary and all the photos from this trip – click here or below:

Breakfast still a bit weird despite a specific requests. I got pork and Daisy got egg but we got weird breads and biscuits.

Long drive from Shigatse to Lhasa along the Kyi Chu River Road as other roads, good in parts – rally driving in other [parts].

Booked dinner at Yeti. Took a quick late lunch at Hard Yak [cafe] of yak burger and fries.

Then went off to Barcor – went widdershins on main circuit at first to find monkeys.

This refers to the monkey that got broken in our pillow fight before we left Lhasa the last time; we were determined to find a like-for-like replacement, which we did. We also had realised that we needed a “speak no evil” monkey to complete a threesome.

First found “speak no evil” (starting price 145 down to market price of 26!). Then found the previous merchant who had sold us “bottoms up” but was out of the naughty broken one. However we were only five minutes down the road when she ran up to us with a fist full of monkeys including naughty.

Walked back to Snowlands, bought cake, then decided to seek some turquoise – got lost around Barkhor, got bearings, went back via Tremsikhang Market. Found jewellers, no real joy, finished circuit and found turquoise pillbox but nothing for Daisy.

Took cyclo home – great fun – though junctions felt chancy.

Dinner at Yeti – “char shu, sweet chicken, veg, chicken noodles and rice.

It’s hard to explain how much fun we had that day and how unexpected the fun part was. We had been somewhat dreading our return to Lhasa and looking forward to leaving Tibet, having completed our touring in Shigatse.

But we were better acclimatised now and the weather was much better by the time we returned to Lhasa, so our half day of free time in Lhasa felt liberating – we had no guide with us at last and (as far as we know) were exploring the place unsupervised. The Barkhor was great fun for just walking around, browsing and chatting with the locals. And we found the silly little bits and pieces we wanted, not least the monkeys, which still (February 2020) adorn a shelf in the Clanricarde flat.

Nepal, Tibet & Kerala Day Eight: Gyantse To Shigatse, 14 April 2002

There is a placeholder with links to the itinerary and all the photos from this trip – click here or below:

Nepal, Tibet & Kerala, Placeholder & Links, 7 to 27 April 2002

Breakfast in refectory more laughable than dinner – course upon course of things we didn’t want – I make do with a little bread and cake.

Set off – photographed Drongotse Monastery [I cannot find a reference for this place, nor a photograph, but that is what I wrote down].

There was a problem re-visit to Shalu Monastery as it had been omitted from our permit.

We assumed and were told that the omission was an accident and that the worst that might happen if we were caught entering without a permit would be a $100 fine, which I agreed to underwrite, figuring (correctly) that the Chinese authorities were unlikely to be policing that remote spot on a Sunday in April.

Risking life and limb (well…a fine) we went anyway and were not disappointed nor were we fined – amazing murals and very friendly monks and terrific atmosphere.

On to Shigatse. Check into hotel light Chinese lunch at a local restaurant (vegetables chicken noodle soup and pork and peas).

Short rest before touring amazing Tashilimpu Monastery – amazing sites and interesting encounters – e.g. stunning Yunnanese Tibetan lady and some contact with a monks.

Got to witness butter milk tea and bread chanting session in main assembly hall. I got to try bread. Went on to Shigatse market which did little for us.

Return for our supper with some hope as we have specifically ordered our food to the surprise of chef who normally does eight dishes!.

Yes, we really were the only guests at this hotel, which was pretty much the only proper hotel in Shigatse. Tourism to Tibet, which hadn’t much taken off by then anyway, had taken a sizeable knock at that time – probably due to 9/11. It wasn’t likely to recover for a few years either, as the SARS scare came less than a year after our visit.